Employees Safe After SWAT Team Takes Over Washington State CU Branch

All employees of the Centralia branch of the $741 million TwinStar Credit Union were reported safe Monday after a lock down and occupation by a SWAT team after an early morning attempted robbery at the southeast Washington State facility.

"One shot was fired at the facility and the one employee who was at the door was not hurt and was taken away safely by officers," said a spokesman for the Washington Credit Union League.

The drama was being carried on live Seattle TV with officers standing outside the facility determining if the suspect remained inside, according to news reports. Apart from media coverage, news of the incident and the fate of employees was being carried on Twitter, said the league spokesman underscoring the newest application of viral media.

"We had somebody with the credit union sending out tweets that the employees were ok," he said.

The incident began about 6:45 a.m. when an officer responded to a report of a suspicious man at the TwinStar branch. When the officer arrived, the employee, who was not identified, mouthed the words "somebody has a gun." The officer pulled the employee to safety, saw the man with a gun and fired.